


Small Talk

by MothmanWingman



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Crack, Gift Fic, M/M, Shiro (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Space Dad Appreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 21:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11239698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MothmanWingman/pseuds/MothmanWingman
Summary: “If you could be any human hybrid creature, what would you be?” The black paladin spoke quickly, trying to distract Keith from the fact he had been staring.Keith’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, “A human hybrid?”“Yeah,” Shiro replied as he tilted his head, “half human half something else. I guess humanoid would be the correct term.”In a deadpanned manor Keith used his hands to frame his face, before wildly gesturing to the rest of his body. “Like, Half-Galran?”“Quiznak."





	Small Talk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpacePoseidon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpacePoseidon/gifts).



> To the best Space Dad.  
> Happy Team Leader Day, Corrin.
> 
> I requested random words from my Shiro and this… interesting drabble happened. Enjoy!
> 
> Prompts: Meatball, Hippos, Mermaids  
> Genre/Tone: Cuddly, Funny

The Castle of Lions had never seemed so large and empty as Takashi Shirogane’s footsteps echoed down the dark path. Blue Altean crystal lights lining the walls lit up sequentially as he walked, searching to see where the rest of his team had run off to. Everyone had been acting strangely since breakfast, but the Black Paladin had passed it off as exhaustion from their recent encounter against the Galran empire. The attacks had been relentless lately, and his confidence as the Leader of the Paladins wavered with each fight.

 

As he turned the corner, a soft sigh escaped his lips as his gaze caught hold of a familiar looking mullet. Keith Kogane crossed his arms, staring intently at the control panel next to the doors of the training room. His dark black hair covered his eyes as he hovered over the device, tapping buttons quickly as Shiro approached.

 

“Hey, where is everyone?” The Black Paladin inquired as the scrawny man in his late teens was quick to step in front of the doorway. His small but agile frame barely covered whatever it was he tried to hide behind him.

  
“The rest of the team?” Keith echoed an answer with a question of his own, his eyes darted to the side suspiciously.

  
  
Shiro huffed slightly in amusement, easily recognizing one of the Red Paladin’s avoidance tactics. “No, the other strangers we live with.” A smirk formed across his lips.

 

“Space mall,” Keith replied simply with a shrug. Shiro watched as the other let his arms drop to his sides. Seeing the teen put down his guard relaxed Takashi after the last few days of battle. It had been awhile since just the two of them were alone. 

 

“Huh, that’s strange-” Shiro began, but his eyes soon darted to look back at his teammate, “Wait. They left without asking me?” He could feel the edges of his smirk turning into an almost childish pout as Keith chuckled in response.

  
“They left without me too.”

  
  
“Yeah, but at least you went last time,” Shiro huffed. It was unlike him to be jealous but Keith always had a way of bringing out the most interesting sides of him. They had been friends for a very long time, even before this mess involving evil alien empires and giant robotic lions. Keith was the closest thing Shiro had to family. He often thought about the day when the Red Paladin had confessed that he felt the same.

 

“You were too busy on a date with Black,” Keith quipped, running a gloved hand through his long hair before placing it on his hip. Shiro was pretty sure his teammate was leaning to the side just to give his leader attitude.

 

“I would hardly call projecting my mind onto the astral plane and almost getting my ass kicked by Zarkon in order to save humanity a date, but sure. You jealous?” The words slipped off his tongue.

  
The Red Paladin rolled his eyes. “You wish, Golden Garrison Boy. Not everyone falls for your charms.” Hearing his old school nickname felt odd coming from Keith. Becoming a pilot with his friend at the Garrison seemed like a lifetime ago. Their time together there didn’t feel real, more like a surreal shared experience or fever dream.

 

Shiro crossed his own arms, mimicking Keith’s earlier pose. “How long until they return? Want to get some training in, hot shot?”

 

“No!” Keith squeaked out a little too quickly, looking embarrassed as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat, repeating the phrase at a normal level, “I mean, no.”

  
  
Shiro raised an eyebrow, not exactly expecting that reaction. Something was definitely up. “Not looking forward to me wiping the floor with you, cadet?” A small smile lingered as he suddenly saw what he had been looking for.

 

A spark set off in Keith’s eyes, a fire burned behind his gaze at the challenge. But the Red Paladin did something unexpected. He backed down. Keith bit his lip as if he was trying to hold back. “I would love to prove you wrong, but Allura locked the room before she left. I’ve been trying to get in.”

  
  
“Oh,” Shiro concealed his disappointment. He had really wanted to see how much his teammate had improved from their recent individual training. The Red Paladin ran through endless simulations every night, even after missions. Keith had seemed particularly inspired after learning about his past. Shiro had done the same, but he only admired Keith’s hard work from afar.

 

The shorter teen tilted his head, rubbing the back of his neck, “Anyway, wanna hang out?”

 

“Sure.”

 

_‘We haven’t been alone together since we encountered the Blade.’_

 

The unspoken words never rolled off the Black Paladin’s tongue as he opened his mouth to speak before shutting it again. He froze at the memory and his concern for Keith at the time. A moment of silence passed between them.

 

Keith licked his lips, “What would you like to do?”

 

Shiro rubbed his chin in thought, his brows knitted. What was something they had in common anymore besides training?

 

 _‘Cooking?’_ No way. The last time the Red Paladin entered the kitchen the Castle of Lions was almost set ablaze.

 

 _‘Talk about how close they used to be on Earth but now there was this huge invisible wall between them that they both don’t acknowledge?’_ Shiro inwardly rolled his eyes at the annoying suggestion. Not helpful right now, brain.

 

 _‘It’s best to internalize those types of feelings.’_  


“Want to watch a movie?” Shiro found himself saying as he looked over to Keith.

 

Keith glanced up at the taller teen and smiled. “That’s right, I forgot Pidge said she downloaded films from her laptop into the main deck database. We can project it on the holoscreen.”

 

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Shiro grinned.

  
“You get the snacks, I’ll swipe blankets and pillows?”

  
  
“You got it. I’ll meet you up there in a few.” The Black Paladin gave a two-finger salute to his friend before turning on his heel towards the kitchen. New mission: retrieve delicious snacks and avoid all nasty food goop if possible. Keith wasn’t a very picky eater, but Shiro, on the other hand, couldn’t stomach any solid food that refused to have a consistent and stable shape.

 

It only took a few minutes for Takashi to grab the juice boxes from the refrigeration unit. He was also pleased to find that Allura had recently made her now galaxy-famous marshmallow pops. Shiro hadn’t had the opportunity to indulge in them when the Arusians had been allowed into the castle. He had been on guard, not wanting to be distracted. Only Keith knew of his secret sweet tooth.

 

Walking onto the main deck a few minutes later lead Shiro to find Keith setting up pillows in front of the Black Paladin’s terminal. They were placed so that the two of them could rest their backs against where Shiro normally sat during combat. Keith held his Red Paladin helmet as Shiro approached, quickly dropping it next to the pillows.

 

“Thinking we’re going to need to suit up?” Shiro inquired curiously.

  
“I left it out here the other day.” Keith stood up and made his way over to Coran’s terminal, “How was the kitchen?”

  
  
Shiro sat down to get comfortable on the pile of pillows, giving one last glance to the helmet. “Mission success!”

  
  
Keith snorted as his fingers worked their way across a screen of strange looking Altean symbols. “What would you like to watch?”

  
  
“A documentary on baby **hippos** ,” Shiro replied without missing a beat.

  
  
Keith spun around to look at Shiro incredulously, “Baby **hippos**. Seriously?”

  
  
Shiro laughed, switching to a teasing tone. “Have you ever seen a baby hippo chomp? It will cure any ailment in the universe.”

 

“Hard pass,” Keith replied with an amused huff, turning back to the panel. “You just lost your movie picking privilege.”

  
  
“Good! Now I don’t have to choose.”

 

“Ah, so the Champion plays dirty. I should have known.” Keith is quiet for a moment as he scrolled through movie titles. His brows are furrowed as if he’s trying to recognize something on the list-  when suddenly his eyes lit up. “Oh my god,” Keith whispered out in disbelief. “I know what we’re watching.”

 

Shiro raised an eyebrow in curiosity but sat back against the terminal with blind trust in his teammate. Keith pressed another button on the panel to dim the lights, waiting another moment for the holoscreen to give off enough of a glow for Keith to find his way back. Keith navigated over to Shiro as the Black Paladin’s eyes flickered between the teen and the movie behind him.

 

A ray of light shined down, illuminating a beautiful leather-bound old age storybook. Was this some sort of fairy tale? He really didn’t think that Keith would pick this genre of film, but maybe things had changed a lot more since the two of them had last bonded. If this is what Keith wanted to watch, so be it. Shiro wasn’t going to argue. He was just glad to have a day of relaxation after the hectic week. He really needed this.

 

Keith settled in, only a single pillow in between the two. He leaned towards Shiro, draping a blanket over both their shoulders. It was a bed sheet, and the overwhelming scent of cinnamon indicated that it had been right off of Keith’s bed. Shiro nuzzled into it appreciatively as he handed Keith one of the juice pouches and marshmallow pops.

  
  
“Thanks,” Keith whispered, as he pulled off the straw from the back of the pouch and stuck it into the container to take a sip. Shiro absentmindedly bit down on the marshmallow pop when he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder. In his peripheral vision, he could see that Keith had rested his head against him.

  
  
He froze for a moment, taking a slow deep breath as he willed his beating chest to relax. The contact, however small, was comforting far beyond words. Shiro held his smile behind another bite, turning to look up at the screen. A light melody began to play as the storybook opened, a rough voice read off a beautifully illustrated page. Why did this movie look so familiar?  


_Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess._  


 

An old, worn page held calligraphy-drawn words in dazzling colors of ink. A princess stood towards the bottom with long blonde hair and a blue dress. The image had almost reminded him of Allura. The page turned on its own as the story continued.

  
_But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort._

_Which could only be broken by love’s first kiss._

 

  
The narrator had some sort of thick accent that sounded almost Scottish. Shiro couldn’t quite place the origin of the character. Had he seen this movie before?

 

_She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon._

_Many brave knights attempted to free her from this dreadful prison._

_But none prevailed._

 

“Oh no,” Shiro whispered. Keith’s shoulders started to vibrate as he held back a snicker.

  
_She waited in the dragon’s keep._

 

“Keith, you did not,” the Black Paladin hissed out. He turned to look at the other teen.

 

_In the highest room of the tallest tower._

 

“I can’t believe you!” Shiro shouted as Keith started to break into a fit of laughter. The Red Paladin was unable to hold it in any longer.

 

_For her true love and true love’s first kiss._

 

The voice off screen belted a laugh, as giant green fingers ripped the page.

 

_Yeah. Like that’s ever going to happen._

 

As soon as Smash Mouth began to play everything hit him like a flash. Shiro took the pillow out from between them and swung, the only obstacle in their path now hurling itself towards Keith’s face. Keith was far too quick, ducking out of the way with a cackle- as if he had expected Shiro’s reaction.

 

“Shrek was the only title on the list I recognized!” Keith was quick to reply, holding his hands up defensively.

 

“Keith. I was missing from Earth for over a year, and I can guarantee you I’m still more caught up on pop culture than you.” Shiro couldn’t contain his own chuckle, lightly flinging the pillow again.

 

As ridiculous as the situation and movie choice had been, it was so nice to just relax. They settled in again to watch the movie, the pillow barrier between them now gone. Keith leaned against him again, the blanket cocooning them together in a comforting warmth.

 

Shiro closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath in. He drew himself back, wanting to reflect on the situation and how grateful he was to still have Keith in his life. There wasn’t a day as a Galran prisoner that he hadn’t thought about his classmate. He had missed him dearly. Shiro’s eyes flickered open, daring to gaze at the teen nuzzled up next to him. Keith sipped from a juice pouch, and to untrained eyes, looked as if he lacked a care in the world as Keith's focus remained on the movie. To Shiro- he could tell that something was wrong.

 

Keith had changed a lot since the Garrison. His dark black hair was longer, the bags under his eyes from endless exhaustion more prominent, but the freckles- how had he never noticed them before? The glow of the holoscreen illuminated the Red Paladin’s face. Freckles lined his cheeks like constellations in the night sky, his indigo eyes looked as if they were galaxies of their own.

 

Feeling Shiro’s eyes drill into him, Keith glanced over. He raised a brow before taking a bite of Shiro’s marshmallow pop in retaliation, even though he already had his own. “What?”

  
  
“If you could be any human hybrid creature, what would you be?” The Black Paladin spoke quickly, trying to distract Keith from the fact he had been staring. He hadn’t really thought about what he was saying, it was just the first thing that had popped into his head. 

  
Keith’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, “A human hybrid?” 

  
“Yeah,” Shiro replied, “half human half something else. I guess humanoid would be the correct term.”

 

In a deadpanned manor Keith used his hands to frame his face before wildly gesturing to the rest of his body. “Like, Half-Galran?  


“Quiznak.” For all the areas in which he excelled in life, small talk was not one of them.

 

Keith smirked and turned on a teasing, lower Shiro-like tone, “Language, cadet.”

 

“Sorry, I wasn’t even-”

  
  
“Hey,” Keith placed a hand gently on Shiro’s shoulder before he had the chance to apologize. “No sweat. I knew what you meant. Totally a centaur, or a moth. Then I could be mothman.” His face suddenly turned into a dazzling grin at the thought of being a famous cryptid.

 

“Those are terrifying!” Shiro said with a laugh. “I think I prefer you as Half-Galran.”

  
  
“Alright then Golden Boy, what would you pick?” 

 

“ **Mermaid** .”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow, “Don’t you mean merman?”

 

“Did I stutter? You heard me.” Shiro replied, waggling his brow suggestively.

 

Keith huffed, looking away with what Shiro could have sworn was a blush. “You’ve been hanging out with Lance too much. Why the sudden question anyway?” He turned to look at the movie, biting his lower lip again.

 

Shiro forced himself to look away, trying not to stare at Keith’s mouth as his teeth gently bit down on soft pink lips. Shiro hushed a rogue thought away, “We don’t talk much.”

 

“We talk every day,” Keith replied, tilting his head to glance back at his leader. Shiro could feel the soft, warm breaths from Keith’s mouth on his own neck.

 

“You know what I mean,” Shiro mumbled, trying to stay focused.

 

Keith remained silent for a moment but then hummed in agreement. “What do you miss the most about Earth?”

 

  
The question caught Shiro off guard, but it didn’t take him long to answer. “The food.” Shiro turned his head to look down towards Keith.

 

“Out of everything you choose food?”

 

“I can barely stomach food goop and living off of juice boxes isn’t really fit for a paladin of Voltron.”

 

“What’s fit for Takashi Shirogane?”

 

They’re far too intimately close for such a ridiculous conversation. Shiro felt his heart flutter.

 

“Spaghetti.”

 

Keith pulled his head back to laugh, “I can’t take any of your answers seriously tonight, Takashi. I hope you don’t mean the cafeteria food from the garrison. The **meatballs** tasted like plastic!” Keith threw an arm up into the air for added dramatics.

 

Another first name drop and Shiro cursed at himself for feeling the tips of his ears heat up. He could only hope that it was too dark for Keith to notice. “Yes! That was the best thing on the menu next to Taco Tuesdays.”

 

Keith groaned at the remembrance of the Garrison days, “Honestly, compared to space food goop- I  think you may be right. I liked those meals as well.”  


“You did? You were always constantly complaining about them at the time.” Shiro said, tilting his head as he remembered them getting together each night for dinner after a long day of flight simulations, training, and endless hours hitting the books.

 

“Yeah but… you were always so busy prepping for Kerberos. It was the one time I could get you to relax.” Keith confessed softly, trying to make eye contact with Takashi.

  
“Oh,” Shiro whispered out, taken back by the situation. He wasn’t really sure what to say, especially when his gaze met Keith’s.

 

“Keith…” Shiro attempted to start again.

 

“I was really-,” Keith stopped himself. Leaning forward to rest his forehead on Shiro’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back.”

 

Shiro paused for another moment, a small smile spread across his face. “It’s good to be back. I”m sorry it took so long. But I did promise I’d come home safe.”  


Keith tore his head back, glaring at Shiro with the same fiery burning intensity as earlier when the Black Paladin had challenged him to a sparring match. “Being captured by the Galrans, forced to fight as a gladiator, and having limbs replaced does in no way classify you as safe. Damn Garrison Golden Boy. Why did I have to fall so hard for you?” Keith snapped, grabbing Shiro by the collar of his shirt. “I was worried about you!”

 

Even with the movie playing in the background, no other sound besides Keith’s words hit his ears. Nothing else in the world could matter after that confession. The two teens locked eyes, Shiro’s widening in surprise with each word lashed out. He realized that Keith was waiting for a response.

 

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Shiro whispered out, “I can’t take you seriously with Shrek playing in the background.” It was a comment meant to break the tension but it only seemed to annoy Keith further.  


“Take this seriously,” Keith huffed, pulling Shiro down into a kiss. It wasn’t anything that Shiro had imagined it to be like. It was better. Warm lips crashed upon his own as a juice pouch was discarded to the side. His hand gently snaked up between the blankets, gently cupping the side of Keith’s face, slowing down the initial kiss. Shiro wrapped his other arm around Keith as their lips connected yet again, this time the movement sweeter, longing. It felt like a dream. Shiro was floating as if someone had turned the zero-G on in the control deck. They pulled apart only to gently touch foreheads and grin.

 

“We… could have just started with that, you know.”

 

“Shut up,” Keith replied playfully, “I’m still mad.”

  
“I know,” Shiro chuckled, “we can-” A static crackling from Keith’s helmet echoed out into the room, interrupting Shiro. Keith pulled back with a slightly embarrassed expression. “What was that?”

 

Keith leaned forward to shyly steal one more. “That was my helmet. I forgot it was here. That’s our cue.”  


 

Shiro savored the stolen kiss, it was short but soft and sweet. “We weren’t done here,” he whispered.  


 

Keith rolled his eyes, glancing off to the side. “Yeah, well… we can talk more tonight.” He wiggled out of Shiro’s arms and stood up, dusting lint from the blanket off of himself. Keith held out his hand to Shiro, offering to help him up. “For now, we have somewhere to be.”

 

  
Shiro took his hand, using it to help him stand, but instead of letting go he intertwined their fingers together. Keith looked away as the blush became more prominent against a brighter scene in the movie background. “Where do we possibly need to be?” 

 

  
“Uh, let me… just turn off the movie first. Would you stop asking so many questions?” Keith huffed, letting go to turn on the lights and turn off the movie before taking Shiro’s hand again. He lead him out of the room and down the hallway where they had walked through earlier.  


 

Shiro raised his brow as he realized their route. Keith was either taking him to a corner of the castle to make out somewhere- or to the training room. Shiro would not have minded either choice at this point.  
  
  


Keith slowed his pace as they approach the training room doors from earlier, using his free hand on the control panel. This time the display blinked green, the doors sliding open to reveal a dark room.

  
“I thought you said Allura had locked this place up.”

  
“She did.”

 

Shiro looked over at Keith with a confused expression but the Red Paladin only shook his head. He gently lead Shiro forward, guiding him further into the room. About a fourth of the way in, the lights slowly flickered on to reveal the rest of the team. The whole training deck had been decorated with streamers, presents, make-shift balloons, and a giant cake- made out of the same marshmallow pops he had found in the fridge! No wonder they were there.

 

“What’s… all this?” Shiro asked, his eyes widened as he took a look around at everyone. 

 

“Happy Team Leader Day, space dad!” The team cheered, one by one surrounding Shiro with their affection.

  
Pidge piped up next to him, “Lance let it slip earlier that today was Father’s Day. Allura was interested in our ‘earth tradition’ and wanted to try to celebrate it.” 

 

“It only made sense,” Allura smiled over at Shiro with a soft expression, “We truly wanted to celebrate you for all the hard work you have done to hold the Paladins of Voltron together. Consider this a thank you from the universe.”

 

Shiro looked around happily at each member of Voltron, his eyes finally landing on Keith.

 

“I couldn’t have done it without my team.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Follow me on Tumblr](http://mothmanwingman.tumblr.com/)
> 
> That lovely constellation line about Keith's eyes was written by my amazing Shiro.  
> [You can find them here.](https://shiro-done.tumblr.com/)


End file.
